Disposable kitty litter box

ABSTRACT

A disposable kitty litter box is provided. The disposable kitty litter box includes a base portion and a plurality of layer portions each including a plurality of apertures. In an assembled configuration, the plurality of apertures of each layer portion of the plurality of layer portions are offset from each other to keep kitty litter from passing between a plurality of apertures of a top layer portion.

PRIORITY

The present application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/958,219, filed on Dec. 3, 2015, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 62/285,696, which was filed on Nov. 6,2015, 62/285,595, which was filed on Nov. 3, 2015, and 62/285,678, whichwas filed on Nov. 5, 2015, the contents of each of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a disposable kitty litter box, andmore particularly, to a disposable kitty litter box including aplurality of disposable kitty litter layer portions.

Description of the Related Art

A kitty litter box is commonly used to accommodate the daily functionsof a cat. The upkeep of a kitty litter box is crucial to the comfort ofa cat and/or the enjoyment of a cat by the pet's owner. Specifically, acat will interact with the kitty litter while relieving its bodilyneeds. After a period of use, the owner will have to clean the kittylitter, as the kitty litter box will reach a sanitarily unacceptablecondition. If the owner is unable to clean the kitty litter box, the catmay reject the kitty litter box and instead seek alternate locations,such as rugs, floors, furniture, and plants. Additionally, thesanitarily unacceptable kitty litter will often produce an undesirableodor and may be of a non-hygienic nature. Consequently, a cat owner mustbe extremely conscientious about replacing kitty litter on a timelybasis.

Therefore, a need exists for kitty litter box that is easy to clean.

SUMMARY

As can be appreciated, a disposable kitty litter box including aplurality of disposable kitty litter layer portions may prove usefulwith regard to maintaining kitty litter in a sanitarily acceptablecondition.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a disposable kitty litterbox. The disposable kitty litter box includes a base portion and aplurality of layer portions each including a plurality of apertures. Inan assembled configuration, the plurality of apertures of each layerportion of the plurality of layer portions are offset from each other tokeep kitty litter from passing between a plurality of apertures of a toplayer portion.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a disposable kittylitter box. The disposable kitty litter box includes a base portionincluding at least one bottom fold line and a plurality of layerportions each including a plurality of apertures and at least one bottomfold line. In the assembled configuration, the base portion and theplurality of layer portions are movable from an unfolded configurationto a folded configuration for transporting the foldable disposable kittylitter box.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described hereinbelowwith references to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a disposable kitty litter box includinga plurality of disposable kitty litter portions, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a top view of the disposable kitty litter box;

FIG. 1C is a side view of the disposable kitty litter box;

FIG. 1D is a front view of the disposable kitty litter box;

FIG. 1E is a partial perspective view of a corner of the disposablekitty litter box;

FIG. 1F is a partial cutaway view of the disposable kitty litter box;

FIG. 1G is a partial cutaway view of the disposable kitty litter boxtaken along line segment “B-B” of FIG. 1B;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a base portion of the disposable kittylitter box;

FIG. 2B is a top view of the base portion;

FIG. 2C is a front view of the base portion;

FIG. 2D is a cutaway view of the base portion taken along line segment“A-A” of FIG. 2C;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a layer portion of the disposable kittylitter box;

FIG. 4A is another perspective view of the layer portion;

FIG. 4B is a top view of the layer portion;

FIG. 4B also shows an enlarged area of detail;

FIG. 4C is a front view of the layer portion;

FIG. 4D is a side view of the layer portion;

FIG. 4D also shows an enlarged area of detail;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a folding method of the disposablekitty litter box;

FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating the disposable kitty litter box in afolded configuration;

FIG. 7A is a top view of a portion of a layer portion of the disposablekitty litter box, according to an alternate embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7B is a side view of the layer portion of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view taken along line segment “A-A” of FIG.7A;

FIG. 7D is a top view of a portion of two layer portions of FIG. 7Ashown in a stacked configuration;

FIG. 7E is a side view of the layer portions of FIG. 7D; and

FIG. 7F is a cross-sectional view taken along line segment “B-B” of FIG.7D.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein;however, the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of thedisclosure, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specificstructural and functional details disclosed herein are not to beinterpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present disclosure in virtually any appropriately detailedstructure.

As noted above, a disposable kitty litter box including a plurality ofdisposable kitty litter portions may prove useful with regard tomaintaining kitty litter in a sanitarily acceptable condition, and sucha kitty litter box is herein described.

FIGS. 1A-1G illustrate various views of a disposable kitty litter box100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Thedisposable kitty litter box 100 includes a base portion 102 and aplurality of stackable layer portions 104 (layer portions 104) thatconnect to each other and to, via a bottom one of the plurality ofportions 104, the base portion 102, as will be described in greaterdetail below. In FIGS. 1A-1G, the layer portions 104 are shown includingsix layer portions.

The base portion 102 and the layer portions 104 may be formed from anysuitable material (e.g., plastic), and may be formed using one or moresuitable manufacturing methods, such as, for example, one or moresuitable molding processes. Forming the base portion 102 and the layerportions 104 from plastic keeps the disposable kitty litter boxrelatively lightweight and, thus, easy to carry if a user should decideto transport disposable kitty litter box 100, and keeps manufacturingcost relatively low.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the base portion 102 of the disposablekitty litter box 100. The base portion 102 includes a generallyrectangular configuration that is defined by sidewalls 106 and 108 whichconnect to opposing end walls 110 and 112, thereby forming the baseportion 102.

A length of the sidewalls 106, 108 can range from about 18 inches toabout 20 inches, but other lengths are contemplated. For example, thelength of the sidewalls 106, 108 can be less than or greater than 18inches and less than or greater than 20 inches.

In the illustrated embodiment, the sidewalls 106, 108 have a length at abottom portion thereof that is less than a length at a top portionthereof so that the sidewalls 106, 108 are angled relative to ahorizontal axis that is defined through the disposable kitty litter box100. For example, the bottom portion of the sidewalls 106, 108 can havea length that is about 18 inches and the top portion of the sidewalls106, 108 can have a length that is about 21 inches (see FIGS. 2B and2D).

A length of the end walls 110, 112 can range from about 14 inches toabout 20 inches, but other lengths are contemplated. For example, thelength of the end walls 110, 112 can be less than or greater than 14inches and less than or greater than 20 inches. As described above withrespect to the sidewalls 106, 108, the ends walls 110, 112 can have alength at a bottom portion thereof that is less than a length at a topportion thereof so that the ends walls 110, 112 are angled relative tothe horizontal axis that is defined through the disposable kitty litterbox 100 (see FIG. 2C, for example).

In the illustrated embodiment, the angle of the sidewalls 106, 108 andthe end walls 110, 112 relative to the horizontal axis can range fromabout 60 degrees to about 75 degrees, but other angles are contemplated.For example, the angle of the sidewalls 106, 108 and the end walls 110,112 relative to the horizontal axis can be less than or greater than 60degrees and less than or greater 75 degrees.

A height of the sidewalls 106, 108 and end walls 110, 112 can range fromabout 3 inches to about 8 inches, but other heights are contemplated.For example, the height of the sidewalls 106, 108 and end walls 110, 112can be less than or greater than 3 inches and less than or greater than8 inches.

A bottom surface 114 (or floor) is provided on the base portion 102 andconnects to the sidewalls 106, 108 and the end walls 110, 112, therebyforming a substantially enclosed base portion 102, which is able tocontain kitty litter therein. As can be appreciated, the bottom surface114 includes a length and a width that is equal to the lengths of thebottom portions of the sidewalls 106, 108 and the end walls 110, 112.

A thickness of the bottom surface 114, sidewalls 106, 108 and end walls110, 112 can range from about 0.08 inches to about 0.12 inches, butother thicknesses are contemplated. For example, the thickness of thesidewalls 106, 108 and end walls 110, 112 can be less than or greaterthan 0.08 inches and less than or greater than 0.12 inches.

A lip 116 extends along an outside perimeter of the base portion 102 andincludes one or more snap features in the form of one or more upwardlyfacing protrusions 118 (FIGS. 2A, 2C, and 2D) and one or more downwardlyfacing protrusions 120 (FIGS. 2C and 2D), each of which are located atupper corners of the lip 116. The upwardly facing protrusions 118 anddownwardly facing protrusions 120 include a substantially hollowconfiguration that allows the upwardly facing protrusions 118 and thedownwardly facing protrusions of the base portion 102 to releasablyengage corresponding upwardly facing protrusions 118 and downwardlyfacing protrusions 120 that are disposed on the layer portions 104, aswill be described in greater detail below. As can be appreciated, theupwardly facing protrusions 118 and downwardly facing protrusions 120 onthe base portion 102 can also engage each other.

The lip 116 can have the same thickness as the thickness of the bottomsurface 114, the sidewalls 106, 108 and end walls 110, 112, or the lip116 can have a thickness that is less than or greater than a thicknessof the sidewalls 106, 108 and end walls 110, 112.

One or more bend reliefs in the form of slits 122 are disposed on aportion of the lip 116 that is provided along the sidewalls 106, 108(see FIGS. 2A and 2B, for clarity, only a few of the slits 122 have beenprovided with reference numbers in these FIGs.). Additionally, each ofthe sidewalls 106, 108 includes a plurality of angular side fold lines124 (e.g., each of the sidewalls 106, 108 include six angular side foldlines 124) and a pair of bottom fold lines 126 are provided on thebottom surface 114 of the base portion 102 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B, forclarity, only a few of the angular side fold lines 124 have beenprovided with reference numbers in these FIGs.).

The angular side fold lines 124 can be oriented at any suitable anglerelative to the x and y axes that are defined through the base portion102 of the disposable kitty litter box 100. For example, in theillustrated embodiment the angular side fold lines are oriented at a 45degree angle in relation to the x and y axes.

The slits 122, the angular side fold lines 124, and the pair of bottomfold lines allow a user to move the base portion 102, in the assembledconfiguration (i.e., with stacked layer portions 104 connected thereto),from a unfolded configuration to a folded configuration, and vice versa,as will be described in greater detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 3-4D, the disposable kitty litter box 100 includesthe layer portions 104. For illustrative purposes, since each layerportion of the layer portions 104 are identical to each other, only onelayer portion is shown in these FIGs. and will be herein simply referredto as the layer portion 104.

Similarly to the base portion 102, the layer portion 104 includessidewalls 128, 130, end walls 132, 134, a bottom surface 136, and a lip138, which includes upwardly facing projections 140, downwardly facingprojections 142, and slits 144. As the sidewalls 128, 130, the end walls132, 134, the bottom surface 136, and the lip 138 are configuredidentically to the corresponding components of the base portion 102, adetailed description of these components will not be provided herein.

It is noted, however, that the dimensions of the sidewalls 128, 130, theend walls 132, 134, the bottom surface 136, and the lip 138 may be thesame as or different from the dimensions of the corresponding componentsof the base portion 102. For example, the dimensions of the sidewalls128, 130, the end walls 132, 134, and the bottom surface 136 may beslightly smaller than the dimensions of the corresponding components ofthe base portion 102, as the layer 104 is configured to fit inside ofthe base portion 102. Similarly, the lip 138 may be slightly larger thanthe lip 116 of the base portion 102 so that the lip 138 of the layerportion 104 can be aligned with the lip 116 of the base portion 102.

Unlike the lip 116 of the base portion 102, the lip 138 of the layerportion 104 also includes one or more finger clearance notches 146(notches 146). In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of notches 146 aredisposed on a portion of the lip 138 that extends along the end walls132 134. The notches 146 include a radius that ranges from about 0.3inches to about 0.6 inches, but the radius can be less than or greaterthan 0.3 inches and less than or greater than 0.6 inches.

The pair of notches 146 that are disposed on the portion of the lip 138that extends along the end wall 132 and the pair of notches 146 that aredisposed on the portion of the lip 138 that extends along the end 134 donot align with each other when the layer portions 104 are in the stackedconfiguration (see FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1E, and 1F). More particularly, thepair of notches 146 that are disposed on the portion of the lip 138 thatextends along the end wall 134 are provided closer to the corners of thelip 138 than the pair of notches 146 that are disposed on the portion ofthe lip 138 that extends along the end wall 132 (FIG. 3). Configuringthe notches 146 in such a manner allows a user to easily grasp a toplayer portion of the stacked layer portions 104. That is, since thenotches do not align vertically with each other, a lip of a bottom layerportion will be positioned directly below a notch of a top layerportion, thereby allowing a user to slip their finger under the notch ofthe top layer portion and lift and remove the top layer portion from theremaining stacked bottom layer portion(s) that are connected to the baseportion 102.

A plurality of apertures 148 (apertures 148) are provided along thebottom surface 136 of the layer portion 104 and are configured to allowunused kitty litter to pass therethrough when a user lifts and removes atop layer portion from a bottom layer portion. In the illustratedembodiment, two rows of apertures 148 extend along the bottom surface136.

The plurality of apertures 148 can have any suitable configurationincluding, but not limited to a circular configuration, a rectangularconfiguration, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, the apertures 148 areshown including a generally oblong configuration with a radius thatranges from about 0.25 inches to about 0.3 inches, but other radii arecontemplated. A length of the apertures can range from about 3 inches toabout 6 inches, but other lengths are contemplated.

The apertures 148 in each row can be spaced apart from each other by anysuitable distance. For example, the apertures 148 can be spaced apartfrom each other at a distance that ranges from about 0.45 inches toabout 0.5 inches, but other distance are contemplated.

The layer portion 104 includes angular side fold lines 150 (see FIG. 3,for example) that are identical to the angular side fold lines 124 ofthe base portion 102 and includes a pair of bottom fold lines 152, whichextend from sidewall 128 to sidewall 130 and between adjacent aperturesof the apertures 148 (see FIGS. 3 and 4B).

The angular fold lines 124 and the bottom fold lines 126 of the baseportion 102 and the angular fold lines 150 and the bottom fold lines 152of the layer portion 104 allow a user to move the disposable kittylitter box 100, in an assembled configuration, from an unfoldedconfiguration to a folded configuration. For illustrative purposes, withreference to FIGS. 5 and 6, a folding procedure of the layer portion 104is shown.

For example, a user can move the end walls 132 and 134 of the layerportion 104 toward each other. In doing so, the layer portion 104 willfold along the angular fold lines 150 and the bottom fold lines 152until the upwardly facing projections 140 engage a correspondingdownwardly facing projection 142, which upon engagement thereofmaintains the layer portion 104 in the folded configuration.

As can be appreciated, the same folding procedure can be used forfolding stacked layer portions 104 that are connected to the baseportion 102, as the base portion 102 includes the angular fold lines 124and the bottom fold lines 126, which are identical to and aligned withthe angular fold lines 150 and the bottom fold lines 152 of the layerportion 104.

It is noted that the aforementioned folding procedure of the disposablekitty litter box 100 can be performed with or without kitty litter inthe disposable kitty litter box 100.

Use of the disposable kitty litter box 100 is now described. In theassembled configuration, the base portion 102 is connected to stackedlayer portions 104, via the upwardly facing projections 118 and thedownwardly facing projections 120 of the base portion 102 being engagedwith the corresponding upwardly facing projections 140 and thedownwardly facing projections 142 of the layer portions 104 (see FIGS.1A and 1G, for example).

In accordance with the instant disclosure, the upwardly facingprojections 140 and the downwardly facing projections 142 of the layerportions 104 allow the individual layer portions to be stacked only inan alternating manner (see FIG. 1F, for example). That is, when thelayer portions 104 are stacked, the apertures 148 of each layer portiondo not align with each other, e.g., they are offset from each other.Accordingly, when two layer portions are stacked upon each other, kittylitter (and/or cat waste) contained in the disposable kitty litter box100 is prevented from passing between the stacked layer portions.

When a user desires to clean the disposable kitty litter box 100, a usersimply lifts a top layer portion from the stacked layer portions 104. Asnoted above, a user can grasp the top layer portion via the notches 146that are provided on the top portion and use the lip of the layerportion beneath the top layer portion for leverage to facilitateremoving the top layer portion from the stacked layer portions thatremain attached to each other and the base portion 102.

Once the top layer portion is removed, a user can shake (or perform oneor more other suitable movements) the removed layer portion over thenext top layer portion so that unused kitty litter can be returned tothe next top layer portion, and the removed layer portion including thecat waste left therein can be discarded.

The disposable kitty litter box 100 described herein overcomes theaforementioned shortcomings that are typically associated withconventional kitty litter boxes. That is, once fresh kitty litterreaches a sanitarily unacceptable condition, the kitty litter box 100provides a fast and easy way for a user to return the kitty litter box100 to a clean and sanitary condition.

While the kitty litter box 100 has been described herein including thebase portion 102 and the layer portions 104, the present disclosure isnot so limited. More particularly, the base portion 102 and the layerportions 104 can be sold separately and assembled by a user. Moreover,while the layer portions 104 have been descried herein as including sixlayer portions, the present disclosure is not so limited, as theplurality of layer portions need only include a minimum of two layerportions.

Additionally, the disposable kitty box 100 can be used by individual catowners, by pet stores, veterinarians, pet hospitals, pet boardingservice providers, etc.

From the foregoing and with reference to the various figure drawings,those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain modifications canalso be made to the present disclosure without departing from the scopeof the same. For example, the layer portions 104 may be provided with aplurality of detents and a plurality of indents.

More particularly, and with reference to FIGS. 7A-7F, a layer portion204 a that is configured for use with the kitty litter box 100 isillustrated.

Unlike the layer portion 104, a layer portion 204 a includes a pluralityof detents 201 and a plurality of indents 203 (FIG. 7C) that extendaround a corresponding one of each of a plurality of apertures 248 onthe layer portion 204 a of layer portions 204. In FIG. 7A, only thedetents 201 are shown. Similarly in FIG. 7D, which shows two stackedlayer portions 204 a and 204 b, only the detents 201 are shown.

As illustrated in FIG. 7F, each of the plurality of detents 201 on thelayer portion 204 a is configured to engage a corresponding one of theplurality of indents 203 of a layer portion 204 b, which is positionedbelow the layer portion 204 a, when the disposable kitty litter box 100is in the assembled configuration.

With the plurality of detents 201 engaged with the correspondingplurality of indents 203, a seal is formed therebetween and an addedbarrier of protection is provided around the apertures 248 when thelayer portions 204 a and 204 b are in a stacked configuration. That is,cat urine that is not immediately absorbed by the kitty litter isprevented from seeping through the apertures 248, thereby reducing oreliminating the likelihood of cat urine pooling or accumulating at thebottom surface 114 of the base portion 102.

The plurality of detents 201 and corresponding plurality of indents 203can be monolithically formed with the layer portions 204.

In addition to the foregoing, a handle can be provided on one of theaforementioned sidewalls and/or end walls of the base portion 102. Forexample, an exterior surface of one or both of the end walls 110, 112may be provided with a handle 111 (or other suitable device) that can beused by a user for carrying the disposable kitty litter 100 when its inthe folded configuration, as shown in FIG. 5.

Moreover, while the base portion 102 and layer portions 104 have beendescribed herein as including upwardly facing projections and downwardlyfacing projections, the present disclosure is not so limited. Forexample, one or more polarized magnets may be provided at the corners ofthe lips 114/138 and may be configured to maintain each layer portion ofthe layer portions 104 in an engaged configuration with each other.

For example, with respect to the base portion 102, a magnet having anorth polarity can be provided on a corner of end wall 110 and a magnethaving a south polarity can be provided on the other corner of the endwall 110; an opposite magnet configuration can be provided the end wall112, and a similar magnet configuration can be provided on each layer ofthe layer portions 104. As can be appreciated, such a magnetconfiguration ensures that the layer portions 104 will be stacked in analternating configuration as described above with respect to theupwardly facing projections and downwardly facing projections.

Furthermore, while the base portion 102 and layer portions 104 have beendescribed herein including a pair of bottom fold lines 126, the presentdisclosure is not so limited. For example, the base portion 102 andlayer portion 104 can each include one or three or more bottom foldlines 126, as opposed to two. Similarly, more or less than six angularside fold lines 124 can be provided on the base portion 102 and layerportions 104.

While not explicitly illustrated in the drawings, the disposable kittylitter box 100 may also include a cover that is configured to attach tothe base portion 102 or a top layer portion of the layer portions 104.The cover may include one or more components, e.g., upwardly facingprojections, downwardly facing projects, magnets, or other suitabledevice, that is/are configured to removable attach to the base portion102 or a top layer portion of the layer portions 104.

While several embodiments of the disclosure have been shown in thedrawings, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, asit is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art willallow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the abovedescription should not be construed as limiting, but merely asexemplifications of particular embodiments. Those skilled in the artwill envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of theclaims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A kitty litter box, comprising: a base portion; aplurality of layer portions each including a plurality of apertures anddetent/indent structures; wherein, in an assembled configuration, theplurality of layer portions are arranged in a stack, the plurality ofapertures of each said layer portion are offset from each other to keepkitty litter from passing between the stacked layer portions, andindents of the detent/indent structures of a top layer portion of thelayer portions engage with detents of a next, lower layer portion of thelayer portions to thereby form a seal therebetween and prevent seepageof liquid through the apertures of the top layer portion; and in each ofthe layer portions, in a first direction, the detent/indent structuresare arranged with respect to the apertures in at least one sequence of:a first detent/indent structure, a first aperture, a seconddetent/indent structure, a flat surface, a third detent/indentstructure, and a second aperture, the flat surface extendingcontinuously between the second and third detent/indent structures andfacing an aperture of a next layer portion in the stack.
 2. The kittylitter box according to claim 1, wherein the base portion and each layerportion of the plurality of layer portions includes at least oneupwardly facing protrusion and at least one downwardly protrusion.